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Deworming for cats - how to get rid of the parasite

For cats, the spring is hunting season and thus increases the risk of infection with worms. Because in addition to dragging the prey into the house, your proud darling sometimes brings in parasites. Our animal health practitioner Katrin informs you about the possible risks of worms and explains when a worm cure makes sense for cats.

These worms want to get to your cat’s intestines

Cats can catch a variety of worms. In the overview you will find the most common thread and flatworms and learn all about infection, infection path, symptoms and diagnosis.

Infection path: spread via snails, rodents, amphibians, reptiles and birds that have eaten the snail. Infection of the cat by consuming the host. Larva bores into the bloodstream and migrates to the lungs.

Symptoms: mostly sympton-free. In case of stronger infestation: disturbance of the immune system, respiratory complaints. But is considered self-healing

Diagnosis: faecal examination, lung rinse sample, lung biopsy

Heartworm

Very rare

up to 30 cm long and lives in the heart

Symptoms: severe general condition, coughing, diarrhea

Diagnosis: blood smear

Flatworms

Tapeworm

Common parasite

up to 80 cm long and lives in the front small intestine

Contagion: Eggs are picked up by flies, beetles and snails. As a result, these are eaten by rodents, in these then they move to the larval stage. The cat consumes this after the hunt. In the small intestine, the larva everts and the tapeworm sucks tight. Individual egg-bearing sections detach and migrate through the anus into the environment (rice-grain-like structures). In a cat usually only 2-10 worms live.

Symptoms: mostly symptom-free. In case of heavy infestation: loss of appetite, emaciation and scruffy coat, itching caused by the emigrating egg-bearing sections of the worm. You could also observe you cat sliding its anus on the carpet.

Fish tapeworms are a subspecies of the tapeworm. They can grow up to 2 m.long. Often, cats become infected by eating fresh water fish. This tapeworm damages, primarily, the mucous membranes of your cat.

Your vet or animal health practitioner can determine via a faecal examination whether worm eggs are already detectable or only an infection exists. Not every infection inevitably leads to symptoms. Nevertheless, a clarification is advisable, because the parasites can also be contagious to humans.

How to prevent worms

If your cat spends time out in the open, it is very likely that it also kills and eats small rodents. Therefore, regular worming about every three months is advisable. Initially you can also take excrement sample to be sure that a worm cure is needed. You will need to collect the faeces of your cat over a three-day period, as the eggs are not detectable in every excretion.

To create a worm hostile intestinal environment, you can add coconut oil to your cat's feed. In addition to the good taste, the oil has a repulsive effect on parasites and strengthens the immune system of your four-legged friend. If you also pay attention to the immune system of your loved-one, there is less susceptibility to worms. In addition, hygiene in the house and garden should be a matter of course for you as a cat owner. You should collect excrements, otherwise they will serve as a source of infection for other animals.

Deworming therapy for your cats

If your cat has tested positive for worms, you should give you cat a worm therapy. Instead of medication, you can resort to natural alternatives - such as the intestinal defence. The use of various herbs creates a worm-hostile intestinal environment and has been proven since the Middle Ages as a measure to combat the unloved parasites.

It defends effective against all the stages of worms that live in the intestine. However, if your cat is infected with heart or lungworm, you'll need to ask your vet about other treatments. For the gourmets among the cats, you can make the intestinal defence tastier with a little coconut oil. As already mentioned, it also strengthens the immune system. A intestinal defence for cats with the taste of a coconut-herb mixture has both effects and looks quite natural.

Worms are a common evil in cats. These tips will help you spot signs of infection in good time and prevent your cat from developing worse symptoms.